Rosa's Sixteenth Year
by Lorikemu
Summary: Rosa is officially on her own. Her parents: murdered. Her sister, Mei: murdered. Her options for help seem very limited, until Mewtwo shows up. A crazy race to find the evil Ghetsis and bring him to justice will soon begin! Rated T for a fair bit of coarse language, so please don't be offended.
1. Chapter 1

I've just escaped from the worst moment of my entire life. All I have here with me is a captioned photograph. I can't really make out what the caption says, because it's written in some sort of code. And it's too dark to look at the photograph. I sort of recognise the word 'Mewtwo' but I have no idea what that is. All I can see around me are trees, and very strange creatures in the treetops. I think I know what they are, but it's kind of fuzzy. I think they're Po… Poky? No, I remember now! They're called Pokémon!

I sit down and gather some sticks toward me. I pile them up. "Excuse me, Pokémon," I say, my voice ringing through the forest, "I need a place to stay. I have no idea about anything, where to go, what to do, even if I have a family! However, I do know my name. My name is Rosa, Rosa Twohmon. Please, let me stay here. I also need some help with cracking a code. If anyone of you can help me, please come to me, light my fire, give me some water, or help me make a nest for myself."

Not long after, the Grass-Type Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Treecko, Turtwig and Snivy used Vine Whip to gather grasses and sweet-smelling flowers into a nest for me. The Fire-Types, Charmander, Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar and Tepig used Ember to set my sticks on fire. The Water-Types, Squirtle, Totodile, Mudkip, Piplup and Oshawott used Ice Beam to create a glass and then filled it up using Water Gun.

"Thank you all very much. Can you all accompany me on a journey to find my past and future?"

_'No problem!' _said the Grass-Types.

_'Of course!' _said the Fire-Types.

_'Yes, we will!' _said the Water-Types.

"Um… how are you able to talk?" I ask, very shocked. Oshawott comes up to me and rests its head on my knee.

_'We have been able to talk for centuries,'_ Oshawott answers, its stone black eyes looking straight into my grass green, fire red and ocean blue eyes, _'but only one person in each region has the ability to understand our language. You're the person for Unova.'_

"So, you're saying that I am in Unova? The region where Hilda became Champion and beat N, Ghetsis and Team Plasma?" Wow, I actually _do_ remember something about this place.

_'Yes, Rosa, you are.'_

_'We will follow you on your quest to find your past and your future,'_ calls Bulbasaur. _'In the meantime, though, I think it is high time for sleeping. You can make sense of everything in the morning.'_

I drink the water – scratch that, I guzzle the water – and Squirtle leads me along to a stream. I strip right in front of Squirtle – not embarrassed at all – and take my hair out of the doughnuts they're always in. I slowly walk in to the middle, slipping and sliding on the smooth stones as I go. The cold water only just reaches my waist, so I realise that I have to swim if I want everywhere to get clean.

Squirtle gives me a pumice stone that glows in the light of the biggest full moon I have ever seen. I take it and put it to my foot –

_'Wait, Rosa!'_ she cries.

"Why?"

_'That stone is really special. The Rock- and Psychic-Types imbued it with a special energy that lets you change into someone that you're thinking of when used in this stream. You have to rid your mind of thoughts of your family and anyone or anything else, otherwise you turn into them.'_

"Thank you, Squirtle." I rub myself all over with the stone, careful not to think of what my parents may have been like, or of anyone else. When I finish, I swim toward the moon's reflection, allowing the moonlight to cover me, showing off all my wonderful curves.

As I swim, a steady trickle of blood floats away from me downstream. I was wondering when it would finally come. I dive under and swim upstream toward a waterfall, my long, light brown hair streaming behind me. I climb up the waterfall, allowing all the sweat and grime to wash away with the water.

Soon I am standing on the very top. A valley is spread before me. I wonder what this view would look like during the day.

After about an hour, I dive back down the waterfall, head first. I swim back over to where Squirtle is waiting for me. I give her the stone, then walk out and pick up my clothes. I don't bother getting dressed or doing my hair again.

Back in the clearing, the fire is roaring and the Grass-Types are putting the finishing touches on my nest. "Thank you," I whisper, exhausted. I fall into the nest, overcome by the scent of all those flowers. One by one, the Pokémon get in the nest with me, covering me up. I fall asleep quickly.

* * *

If you are wondering where the X and Y starters are, I'm sorry that they won't be mentioned at all in this story. I don't have X or Y, or a 3DS for that matter, because my Dad won't let me. I was lucky that I even got Black 2 for Christmas last year! Once again, my apologies.


	2. Chapter 2

I wake the next morning to find Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle gone. "Frigging hell!" I whisper. I look around the nest to find that my clothes have been burned up. "Great. Just great. Now I have to go into towns and cities absolutely naked!" I look up to the sky. There's something that I don't think was there last night. I stand up. Before I can move anywhere, the thing floats down onto me. I feel as if my lower legs are showing through a slit that runs up the middle. Squirtle puts some shoes in front of me. They look like they're made of the deepest blue and lightest greenish water. I step into them. Charmander walks up behind me, holding a pair of Charizard wings. I bend down so it can attach them to my back. When it's done, I stand up again. I walk to the pane of ice that Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander brought over.

Don't blame me for waking everyone up! I am amazed. I look absolutely spectacular! "Wow! Did you three make this?"

_'Yes, we did,' _Charmander answers, chuffed at my reaction.

"Thank you very much!" I take in my reflection. The dress is a strapless emerald, sea and grass green gown that hugs my body, but flounces away from my knees and floats away for at least two metres. There's a large slit that runs from the ground up to my knees. The top of the gown looks like bandages around my breasts. It's tight and revealing, but not so that I'm short of breath. I spin around and watch as I become a flower. The bottom (where it flounces from my knees) turns into all the colours under the sun. I stop spinning, sit down and ask Snivy to style my knee length hair into my regular doughnuts.

_'Are you sure?'_ she asks, hesitant.

"Why?"

_'It's the start of a new life, isn't it?' _

"Umm… I guess so."

_'Face it, Rosa, you lost your parents. They're gone. So's the rest of your family.'_

"What?!" I cry. I start shaking. Uncontrollable tears cascade down my face, blurring my vision. I get up and stumble toward the stream. As I do, memories flood toward me. My mother, father and twin sister, Mei, were impaled on an ebony-black cane. The only reason I escaped is a strange creature who picked me up just in the nick of time. I think it was a Pokémon. I think it then used Psychic to get me out of the house.

"I need to go home," I announce, sitting down. Tears trickle down my cheeks. "But where is it?" I lie back on the soft grass, my feet in the stream. Clouds roll past in the sky. I see my mother's beautiful face for a minute. She fades away. Next, I see my father's face for a moment. All too soon, he fades, too. Finally, Mei's smile appears. I used to be so jealous of her smarts… I think that's why this has happened. "_Mei!_" I scream suddenly, loud enough to wake the dead. Oh, if only it could! "_Mei! Please don't leave me! Please! I'm all alone! MEI!_" I close my eyes for the longest time, willing my sister to appear before me. I sit up and tuck my head between my knees, allowing the tears to cascade down my face in the world's biggest human waterfall – at least, that's what it feels like.

Suddenly, I am aware of an ethereal presence, then a hand on my shoulder. I lift my head up but don't turn.

"Hey, sis," a voice says.

"M-Mei?" I turn my head to look at my older twin.

"In the flesh." She smiles at me, gently lifting me up.

"Oh, Mei!" I cry, and wrap my arms around Mei's neck. We slowly sink to the ground in our embrace, me still crying. When I finally stop crying, Mei lifts my chin, her face suddenly serious.

"Rosa, I'm afraid I can't stay long. Give me the photograph you had."

"How did you know about that?" I ask, pulling it from my still-loose and knotty hair.

"Duh, I saw you take it right before I died."

"So, you're really a ghost. You really are dead, aren't you?"

"In the literal sense, yes, I am dead. In the spiritual sense, well, I have a brand new body. Anyway…" she looks at the caption with such intensity. Then she looks at the photo itself. She gasps.

"What is it?" I ask, suddenly interested. She remains silent. "Sis, tell me."

"This is the man who killed me, Rosa. It was _Ghetsis!_"

Now it's my turn to gasp. "You're kidding me, right? Lemme have a look at it." She hands it to me.

In the picture, Mum, Dad and Mei's eyes are wide open, their faces an eternal expression of shock. The other man, who _is_ Ghetsis, has a cane, which has been thrust into my family's chests. There's a creature, a Pokémon, I presume, in the photo, but it's more to the side. It's a lilac sort of colour.

"Mei, what does the caption say?"

She's silent.

"Mei?"

"Rosa… you have to find this Pokémon. You also have to find N and Hilda. They'll help you."

"Mei, could this be about revenge?"

"Somehow… I think it is. What happened that day?"

"You don't remember?" The very blank look on her face tells me she clearly doesn't. "Well…" I explain to her how we were at the Giant Chasm and the Team Plasma Frigate was there, too, and how we went into the confusing cave itself and saw both Reshiram and Zekrom combine into one with Kyurem. It became White Kyurem and Black Kyurem, harnessing both Pokémon. Hilda was there, with N, simply watching it all play out. Ghetsis was controlling the poor Pokémon, and Mei and I had to battle it. I caught it, let it out for a little and Reshiram and Zekrom came out of Kyurem.

"Thank you, Rosa," Hilda replied after Ghetsis had been taken away by one of the Shadow Triad.

"Yes, thank you so very much," added N. "I'm afraid to think of the consequences of what Father may have been able to do…"

"But, now the two of you can be together!" Mei exclaimed.

"Yeah! Think of the life you two could share!" I added.

"Well…" N hesitated. "I think we need to wait another couple of years before we can start thinking of marriage."

"But, N…" Mei and I groaned.

"Rosa, Mei, I promise the two of you will be the first to know. And I'll ask you to be my bridesmaids."

"Th-thank you so much, Hilda!"

They still haven't told us when they'll marry. But I know that they are together.

"Seriously, Rosa. That all happened and I remember none of it?" Mei sounds incredulous, shocked, even.

"Mei, I don't think our journey was the same for you as it was for me. Maybe your death took away some of those memories."

"I guess you may be right."

"Sis, can you tell me what the caption says?" I ask suddenly, before letting the silence get too awkward.

"Let's see…

_"Find Mewtwo, Rosa._

_It'll help you._

_Journey again, Rosa._

_Only when you reach your home will you find what is true to you."_


	3. Chapter 3

"Can you repeat it again?"

"Sure.

_"Find Mewtwo, Rosa._

_It'll help you._

_Journey again, Rosa._

_Only when you reach your home will you find what is true to you."_ She gives me the photograph again.

"How do I find Mewtwo?"

"I don't know. I will let you know soon, though. But I have to go. I can't stay here for much longer. I'll come to you in a dream."

"Promise?"

"As sure as the Sun sets in the west and rises in the east. Tonight, I'll come. Be good!"

"Of course I will!"

"Before I forget, Mum and Dad send their love."

"Thank you." As I reply, she floats up. Beautiful white wings appear on her back as she starts to fly.

Within seconds, Mei is gone. I hear a voice. The voice is hard, cold, firm and loud.

I bristle all over when I hear it. "Oh, Rosa, you know I merely want to help you."

"Yeah, so you can make me a pawn in your next plan, just like you did N. I will never accept help from anyone like you, Ghetsis." I turn around as I say the name. And surprisingly, I see an old, old man. His robe is torn, but I can clearly see the eyes on it. His red bionic eye is missing, and he's covering the socket to hide the gruesome sight from me. His pale greeny-grey long hair is now thin and hanging down his back in rats' tails. Yuck. "Okay, what happened? Be honest. Don't omit a word."

He goes on to tell me (at length) how he met up with N and Hilda – right in the middle of a romantic French kiss. He said that Hilda had a beautiful ring on her finger. There were six gems on it and they were orange and white (for Reshiram), black and blue (for Zekrom) and the other two were green and pink (for the two of them together). Then all of Hilda's Pokémon came out of their Poké Balls – Samurott, Stoutland, Simisage, Watchog, Reshiram and Unfeazant – and used their strongest moves on him. "So that's why you're so bedraggled." Honestly, I wish I could believe him about the ring. 'But they would have told me first!' a little voice tells me. 'Maybe it was only yesterday,' I counter. I still doubt it. It's just not like him to not have a plan.

"I am _not_ going to help you. And _you_ are _not_ going to help _me_. Leave me alone, you evil demon! Get out of my life for good, you understand! I can't see the good in you at all. Honestly, I was hoping you'd change after a couple of years. Turn over a new leaf. Obviously, you're still the same lying, greedy, horrible piece of filth that you were when you adopted N. And he called you 'Father'!"

"I can accept that. My plans may have been thwarted by you, Hilda, Mei, Bianca, Cheren, N and all your Pokémon, twice, but they'll succeed someday. You hear me? Be ready, Rosa! I'm coming for you!"

He turns around and disappears into the shade of the trees. Boy, am I glad _that's_ over. He's one mean dude.


	4. Chapter 4

I walk back to the clearing, feeling ever so much better. But my meeting with Mei has left me with more questions than answers. And I'm still pondering about my ability to speak with the Pokémon. I manage to find Oshawott. "Hey, Oshawott!" I call.

_'What is it, Rosa?'_ Oshawott asks, coming toward me.

"You remember how you said that there's only one person per region who has the power that I have?"

_'Yes, I do.'_

"Well, N can talk to Pokémon. And so can Hilda, for that matter. What's going on?"

_'The three of you were born on the day of a solar and lunar eclipse coinciding.'_

"But, my sister never had it and we were twins."

_'She was born a little bit before the solar and lunar eclipses.'_

"But then, how do N and Hilda have the same power as I do? Weren't they born in Unova too?"

_'No, they weren't. Remember that N was adopted, and Hilda moved here about fourteen years ago from Hoenn. Does it make sense now?'_

"Yes, it does. Thank you. Um… Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott, do you reckon you could make me a travelling outfit?"

_'Sure thing, Rosa!' _exclaimed Snivy.

_'What exactly would you like it to be made up of? Garments, I mean,'_ asked Tepig.

_'And what colours?'_ added Oshawott.

"I would like a pair of faded jeans with a rather wide belt, a hot pink shoulderless and strapless tee-shirt, a Flatcap with a Poké Ball on the front and black high-top Converse sneakers."

_'Come back at sunset. The whole outfit will be ready, along with a backpack and pyjamas.'_

"Thank you very much!"

Just as I turn away, Oshawott calls me._ 'Rosa, Rosa, wait!'_

"What is it?" I ask, surprised.

_'You have the eyes. That's a sign that you have the gift.'_

"The eyes?"

_'That's right. Your eyes are red, green and blue, aren't they?'_

"Yeah…"

_'Only those who have the eyes have the gift. That's one reason why it's so rare. It is clear that you have been chosen. For what, I don't know. But that's all the more reason for you to go and find Mewtwo.'_

"But where could it be?"

_'You may want to try at the Entralink, very near to the Entree.'_

"Thanks." I turn back toward the stream and follow it downstream. Soon, I am feeling very hungry. I come to a grotto and find some berries. Oh, man, how I _loooove_ the Pecha berries! In a few minutes, there are none left on the bush and I am feeling very full. I lie back in some beautiful black, white, orange, blue, green and pink flowers. I wonder if this is where N proposed to Hilda. No, don't think about that! They woulda told me!

I can see that giving in to these thoughts would be useless, but at the same time, they would have. I shake my head vigorously. "No," I say to myself, "that's exactly what Ghetsis wants me to think." He's still the same lying, greedy, worthless, manipulative git as when he adopted N long, long ago.

I eat some other berries, mostly Nanab and Sitrus. The sweet and sour combo sets my mouth watering. I've always been prone to that.

Lying down on my back, I notice the sweet and fresh scents of the flowers around me. "Mewtwo, how do I get to you?"

All of a sudden I hear a voice, calling my name. It doesn't sound like Ghetsis at all. The voice is hard, yet soft, and firm. This voice is as different to Ghetsis's as fire is to water and night is to day and hot is to cold.

I sit up and say, "Here I am."

A Pokémon flies into view. It lands in front of me. I can see that it is rather tall, at least a forty centimetre ruler taller than me. It is lilac and looks very much like a human being, except for the fact that it has a tail and is bald – like, no hair at all. Its chest comes out a little, so combined with a pipe sort of thing at its neck, it looks like a divers' helmet.

I look at the photo still clenched in my hand. I look up at the weird Pokémon. Photo, Pokémon, photo, Pokémon. "Are you Mewtwo?" I finally manage to ask.

In response, it puts its three-fingered hand toward me. I take it and it pulls me up. _'You must be Rosa.'_

I'm shocked into speechlessness. This Pokémon spoke just like an ordinary human being. I merely nod.

_'I am the one who saved you, Rosa. I'm sorry that I couldn't save your sister or parents.'_ It sounds remorseful, and apologetic. It places a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Mewtwo," I choke out. "My sister, Mei, came to me a few hours ago. She told me the meaning of the caption on this photo I took." I show Mewtwo the Polaroid. "This is the very moment of my parents' and sister's murder. It was Ghetsis who killed them."

Long, silent minutes pass. Suddenly, I say "Help me, Mewtwo!"

_'What with?'_

"What the caption is telling me to do." I repeat the poem to Mewtwo.

_'Where's your home, Rosa?'_

"I have no idea. I think my house is in Aspertia Town, but I think I remember walking away from a fire." I close my eyes and am soon bombarded by flames and thick, black smoke. I open my eyes wide. "Oh, shit! The whole friggin' town was on fire! We were all out to celebrate the full moon!"

_'Rosa, let it flow. Don't stop.'_ Mewtwo sits me down on the grass and sits down next to me.

I close my eyes again. "I remember going home after the festival. I had taken my digital Polaroid camera with me, like I always do, to take photos of the moon. Because I had stayed out a little later, Mum, Dad and Mei went home, so I was a little late coming back. But then…" I gasp as the image appears. "The house was on fire… I pushed open the door and saw Mum and Dad and Mei impaled on Ghetsis's cane. Ghetsis was coming toward me, still holding the cane. And then, you appeared, Mewtwo. You should know the rest."

_'I do. After I used Psychic to get you out of there, I teleported the bodies of your family to a safe place, somewhere in Unova but on the very outskirts of the region. I then came back and used Psystrike on Ghetsis. He ran off, but the whole town was burning. People were running, like the blind leading the blind, I'm afraid._

_'I heard a boy and little girl calling your name, Rosa.'_

"Hugh and Isla…"

_'I saw them get out of town, but I'm not entirely sure if they're safe.'_

"Hugh will make sure his sister survives. He will make sure they both survive." Inside, I am not sure. Hugh doesn't like fire – he chose Snivy, so I'm a little worried. Fire-Types and Grass-Types do not mix. I wonder how they're doing.


	5. Chapter 5

Suddenly, I hear a voice. It sounds familiar, for some reason, but I know it is a good familiar. It changes from a deeper voice to a higher voice. I think I know who they are, but I'm still not certain. I catch their conversation.

"Did you hear that Aspertia Town was set on fire the other night, Hilda?" _Hilda._ It must be N and Hilda!

"Unfortunately yes, Cheren… I wonder if Mei and Rosa are alright?" The mere mention of my sister's name brings a sting to my eyes.

"I sure hope so." My heart falls a little.

"Do you know who did it, N?" Now my heart floats again.

There's a long silence. "N?"

"Huh? Sorry, I was lost in thought." The question is repeated. "Yes, unfortunately, I think I know who did it. It was Father."

There are three gasps. "Excuse me for a moment, Mewtwo," I say. I follow the voices to the stream. I catch a glimpse of them through the border of trees that surrounds the meadow. I start to walk again. Faster. Faster. Faster. Until I am running toward the group of four. "Hilda!" I shout.

"Rosa? Or Mei?" she asks, clearly confused.

"Rosa. It's Rosa! You still can't tell us apart!"

"It's very good to see you, Rosa. Where's Mei?"

I crumple in a heap. Tears spring to my eyes yet again, but I can't control it. Hilda sits down next to me, holding me in her arms. My tears soak her denim shirt. "Ghetsis… Mei…" I say in between sobs. "He… Ghetsis… Mei… _gone!_"

"Who's gone, Rosa?" N asks firmly but gently.

"Mei! She's…" I can't bring myself to say it. I know Mei said she'll come to me in a dream, but there's still this ginormous hole in my heart that simply can't be mended.

"Who did it?"

"N knows!" I cry out suddenly, pulling my head out of Hilda's and my embrace to look at N. The one person whom I can count on to be able to understand this grief, besides Hilda, of course.

"Do you, N?" Hilda, Bianca and Cheren ask.

N pales. He turns away toward the stream. His long, tea green hair sways in the slight mid-afternoon breeze. "I didn't think he was that base!" he yells. "He's a git! A horrible, lying, scheming piece of filth! Sure, he adopted me, but he was _using_ me! Whatever he can't use he destroys! Pokémon and human beings included!"

Bianca gasps again and she knocks her glasses askew. Fixing them up she whispers, "Ghetsis?"

I slowly get up and tentatively walk towards N. When I reach him I place my hand on his shoulder, then wrap my arms around his chest. My ear rests against his heart and I hear the thunder of a steam train. This time, his heart is beating with rage, hate and confusion. Rage for what Ghetsis did, hate for being used, confusion for the feelings he has and had for the man he called Father.

N's arms hang in the air awkwardly, like a stranger being hugged by a child. Slowly, he wraps his arms around me too. As he does this, his heartbeat slows rapidly. He runs his fingers through my hair, struggling at the larger knots. "I'm so sorry, Rosa," he whispers. I look up to his strained and tired face.

"Don't be," I whisper back. "You weren't to know what he would do and how far he would go to get revenge." Suddenly, I feel a second pair of arms.

"Honey, she's right," Hilda confirms. It's amazing what she can hold in those arms. I know for a fact that she and N can hold a whole people in their arms when they are united. When they are apart, that people divides and fights amongst itself.

Now I feel a third pair of arms. Bianca. "N, don't blame yourself. None of us could have known."

The last pair of arms encircles us. Cheren. "The good thing about what happened is that Ghetsis is all alone." We all look at him like he just missed a major point. "What? I'm just trying to look on the bright side." We laugh.

We lift each other off of us. "Um, anyway, N, Hilda, can I ask you something? In private?"

"Why can't you ask it in front of Bianca and Cheren?"

"It's about… um… the 'gift'…"

"The 'gift'?"

"The gift of understanding Pokémon speech."

"Lead the way."

I lead N and Hilda to where I was with Mewtwo. It's still there. Behind me, N and Hilda gasp.

"Is – is that – _Mewtwo_?"

"In the flesh," it says.

"Hilda, I can talk to Pokémon. Like you and N. I've been told that only one person per region has this gift and that I'm the person for Unova. Which leads me to ask… where were the both of you born?"

"My mother always told me that I was born in Nuvema Town, but there's a Gym Leader in Kanto who looks rather similar to me, so I'm no longer sure."

"I have absolutely no idea about me. I always knew I was from outside Unova, perhaps even outside of all the other regions, too."

I look down and suddenly notice some jewels on Hilda's finger. "Is that an engagement ring?"

Hilda blushes and leans into N's tall, lanky body. He holds her close and rests his chin on her head. "Yes, it is, Rosa. N proposed just last night, the night of the Aspertia Town fire."

"We tried calling you on the Cross-Transceiver, but no one picked up. We tried calling your home phone, but the nice robot lady said the connection was destroyed. We began to fear the worst."

"Then Ghetsis showed up. If we weren't in the middle of a kiss, I would have gone and kicked him where it really hurt. Ooohh, how I hate him! Thanks to my wonderful Pokémon, he ran away screaming like a little girl."

I giggle. But they fade away. "N, do you have a Town Map?"

"Sure." He lets go of Hilda and rummages through his backpack. "Here." He passes it to me. I search for our location.

"Huh. That's funny."

"What's wrong?"

"The thing says 'Location not found'."


	6. Chapter 6

"If where we are isn't on the map," I say, giving the map back to N, "then where are we?"

"Good question," N answers, scratching his head.

"This is a Hidden Grotto, Rosa, N and Hilda," chimes in Mewtwo.

"Oh! Let's get out of here."

"Good idea, Rosa," says Hilda.

I lead them back out of the grotto.

"Oh, hey, Rosa," calls Hilda from the back of the group.

"Yeah, Hilda?" I answer.

"Where did you get that outfit? It looks gorgeous on you!"

I blush a bit. "Thanks. The Kanto region starter Pokémon made it for me. You know, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander?"

"I think so… wait, where did this happen?"

"I'll show you when we get back to Cheren and Bianca." Oh boy, I'm getting a little short of breath. Not good. Gee, getting _out_ is so much more difficult than going _in._ Soon, I see Bianca and Cheren. They look a little worried.

I sit down with slight difficulty. This gown is so difficult to move in! Probably why it's tight. The others sit in a circle next to me. I'm between Bianca and Hilda.

"Where on Earth were you?" asks Bianca, placing her arm around me.

"Remember how you showed me those Hidden Grottoes? Well, I found one. Accidentally."

"Ah-ha."

"Hey, Cheren, how long were we in there for?" asks N.

"Oh, only about a minute or so," he answers.

"Wow." Now _that's_ surprising. "Hey guys, can you follow me a bit? I've got something to show you, and we have to get there before dark. It's where I escaped to after… that night." It takes a lot for me to say that. Grief is so terrible. I only experienced it once, when Nate left. He went missing around Lent 2010. After four years, he hasn't come back. His body has never been recovered either. He was my closest cousin and one of my best friends. Aunt Sierra and Uncle Matt still pray for him every morning and night for him to come back home safely. I've convinced myself that he wouldn't be gone that long unless he'd had some sort of trouble. He hasn't called either.

I lead my mentors with me to the clearing I found myself in. Once I reach the river, I'm all good. I found it! I show them around.

"What do you think of my temporary home?" I ask the four of them.

"Ooohh!" exclaims Bianca, her eyes shining and hands clasped in front of her. "Ommigosh! Ommigosh! Ommigosh! This is be-yoo-ti-ful!"

"It's really quite nice," comments Cheren, cleaning his glasses.

"Yeah… it's sweet 'n' simple," chimes in Hilda.

N whispers inaudibly, but I think he's saying that it reminds him of the place where Ghetsis found him as a young child, wandering in the woods.

"Hey, Pokémon!" I call. "I found some friends who could use a place to stay for the night. I want you to meet them!"

Slowly, one by one, the Pokémon all come out. Suddenly, N exclaims, "Hey, it's you!" and points to Tepig. Tepig notices the finger point and runs toward N, who is on his knees with open arms. N catches Tepig and squeezes it so tight it's a miracle it's not suffocating.

"You know this Tepig, N?" asks Hilda.

"How?" I ask. "When? Where?"

"Yeah. It was Tepig whom I found when I was cast out of my community thirteen years ago. I'll give you the full story at dinner time."

* * *

Thank you all for sticking with me! Please enjoy the rest of this story as Rosa copes with her grief and comes up with numerous plans for getting Ghetsis out of the way – permanently.


	7. Chapter 7

Tepig comes up to me holding a hat, shoes and backpack. Snivy and Oshawott follow suit with a pair of jeans and T-shirt. "Wow, this looks great!" I exclaim to the Pokémon. 'We're glad you like it, Rosa,' replies Tepig, running back to N once I grab my new outfit. "I'll go get changed. Everyone, go to the stream. I'll tap you on the shoulders when I'm done. Kay?" "Sure," the humans answer, leaving me with the Pokémon. I strip and give the gown to Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. I pull on the jeans and shirt. The top of the shirt has some elastic in it so it doesn't fall down. The elbow length sleeves are wide and slashed with a black fabric that hugs my body. I sit down and find the sneakers have some socks in them. I pull them on. The socks are pink (my favourite colour) and very thick. There is no way I am getting blisters with these things on! I quickly get the black Converse high-ankle sneakers on and tie the laces in a double knot. I look at the design on the Flatcap and see that it is the Poké Ball that I asked for. I ask Snivy to quickly do my hair in two high pigtails. I put on the cap and grab the backpack when she's done and head back out to the group. I tap their shoulders, saying, "What do you think?" They turn around and stare at me. I do a little pose. "Well?" "It looks great on you, Rosa," answers Hilda. "I agree," says Bianca. "Are you sure that's casual?" asks Cheren. I giggle. "Dude, as long as it's comfy, it's all G!" "If you say so…" I sigh at his aversion to all things fashion. But, then again, he is a guy. They're supposed to be like that. N merely smiles. "You remind me of my sisters when they were your age." I blush at the compliment. "Thanks, N. Let's go back to the clearing. I have an announcement." When we get there, I suddenly notice that it's almost dusk. "Wow, it got late fast!" I exclaim. "Sure did," N replies. "How 'bout I make dinner tonight. What do you say?" "Yes, please!" we answer in unison. N pulled some cooking equipment and ingredients from his backpack. I take the opportunity to ask where everyone is going. "We're headed to the Pokémon League to meet with Gary, Lance, Steven, Wallace, Cynthia, Alder and Iris about the recent incidences in Unova," Hilda answers. "These happenings have gotten out of hand." "In fact, just last week, a tsunami hit Castelia City," adds in Cheren. "I highly doubt that it was a natural occurrence, considering that there are no fault lines near Unova on the geological map, and that the city was the only place affected." "I think I remember seeing that live on the news at the Pokémon Centre," I say, playing with my long pigtails. "I asked Nurse Joy and Audino what was happening. They said that only one place hadn't been affected at that time – guess which town it was." "Okay, I think we've established the fact that Ghetsis has a plan." I glance at N. He's dicing onions like there's no tomorrow and I'm a little worried. He's been… well… different. Although I didn't really know him before the incident at the Giant Chasm, I got more than a basic understanding and knowledge of what he is like. He is strong and brave and smart. For that, I love him like I would an older brother. "Honey, don't worry. Let's just finish filling Rosa in on this, okay?" "Sure, Hilda." Hilda kisses N on the cheek. He blushes a little. "Thanks." "You're welcome. Rosa, there are many more places that have been affected. The whole Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova regions have been almost utterly destroyed." "You're kidding!" I gasp. "Nope. The only places left are the Pokémon Leagues. Even Nuvema Town is ruined. I think I know who did it all." "If he did something large scale within Unova twice, there is no way he'll stop at just Unova. He wants the world. And I betcha he'll use us to get at it. Ugh, I hate, hate, HATE him!" That guy just makes me go nuts! I have a thousand questions I want to ask him, but I know that N will kill him before I get the chance. I know where he'll go. Straight down to Hell. "Exactly. That's why we're helping everyone affected in the Unova region. Dawn, Lucas and Barry will take care of Sinnoh; May and Brendan will take care of Hoenn; Ethan, Kris, Lyra and Silver will look after Johto; and Red and Green will look after Kanto. Ash will be coming around to each affected region weekly, and he'll know what to do. In fact, we should be meeting him, Cilan and Iris in Nimbasa City next week." "Can I come?" "Of course!" "Can I bring all the starters along with me? They have been so kind to me, and I want to repay them." "I don't see why not." "Hold on," I suddenly realise Cheren's here too. Oops. Some friend I am. "What is it, Cheren?" asks Bianca. "You're forgetting one thing. How many Pokémon can we take with us?" "Six," we all answer at once. "And how many are there of us?" "Five." "How many starter Pokémon are there?" "Fifteen." "Aah. So we'll all take three. Dibs the Unova starters!" I ran over to where Snivy, Oshawott and Tepig were all seated. "But you'll have to catch them. I doubt you have any Poké Balls on you." I hate admitting that Cheren is right. I left all my Pokémon and Poké Balls back in my room. But I know my bedside table is completely fireproof. Still, I have no idea where we are and Aspertia Town – or what's left of it – could be miles away. "Ten minutes till dinner!" N says suddenly as I am jolted back to Earth. "Can someone please help me with setting up the table?" "Sure. Where is it?" I ask. N points to his backpack which is now on the ground. I pull out the table with a little difficulty. Cheren helps me to open it up and set it down. I look in the bag once again to find heaps of Pokémon food bowls, human crockery and cutlery. "Did you bring enough stuff for an army, N?" I joke. "Very funny, Rosa." I smile as I set the table. I'll ask if we can go to Aspertia Town in the morning. In the meantime, though, I have to know about how N met Tepig. 


	8. Chapter 8

I thank N as he places my dinner down in front of me. "Mmm," I murmur when I set my eyes on the dish. Yay! Veggies! And lots of 'em! And in the middle of the plate is a sushi roll, but I don't think it's any sort of fish in there. It's red and meaty. "What do you call this, N?" I ask.

"Bolognaise Sushi," he answers as he sits down, placing his napkin on his lap with a flourish. "Bon appetite."

I have no idea how to eat this. I can see the fork, knife and spoon next to my plate, but after a mere two days in the wilderness, I have almost forgotten how to use them. Must've bumped my head pretty hard when Mewtwo threw me out of the room. Speaking of Mewtwo, I have no idea where it's gone. It must have disappeared when I left the grotto. Now I have to find it all over again. Then again, it found me.

I pick up my fork tentatively. I look around and copy Hilda. It's starting to come back, now. I start eating the veggies with gusto. "Yum!" I say in between mouthfuls. When I finish on the veggies I say "This is delish!"

N laughs. "Slow down, Rosa!"

I give the sushi a try. "Oh, yum!" I am instantly transported to a place that I like to call Food Heaven. I finish in a few minutes. "You said that you were gonna tell us about Tepig, right, N?" I ask when I see that he has finished, too.

"Hm." N closes his eyes. "Let's see… it was about sixteen years ago, now. I was in the woods after having been cast out of my village because they were afraid of my powers. You must understand that they were very, very superstitious. They thought that because I could talk to Pokémon, I was some sort of demon. They tried to kill me by sending me to a cave and causing an avalanche."

"No!" I gasp.

"The answer is yes, I'm afraid. Anyway, I was alone and freezing in the cave, and thinking that I was about to die. Suddenly, I heard this scratching sound from the blocked entrance. I heard a voice belonging to an Emboar. It told me to stand back as it was going to melt the snow. The snow, rock and ice was sent flying further into the cave and I was saved. There was an Emboar, a Pignite, and a Tepig.

"However, I wasn't out of the woods yet. I had hypothermia so I had to be taken back down the mountain. Back to my village.

"When they saw me, everyone was livid and afraid. Then I saw my real parents. They were tied up and being led to an unlit bonfire. I screamed out 'Mother! Father!' but by then it was too late. They were tied to the stake and everyone else made me watch. 'This is what you get for being different!' they scorned. The smell of burning flesh and the sounds of screaming filled the air. I wanted to put them out of their misery, but I couldn't. I didn't know how.

"I don't know how long they burned alive, but I do know that they were reduced to mere ash in the morning. I was in a state of shock for months. The Pokémon told me that I kept saying one word at night – Natural. And it became my name. Tepig was my only source of friendship. Pignite was like an older sister and Emboar became my mother. They loved me a lot.

"Then, one day, when I was four, Pignite and Emboar were caught by hunters. Tepig and I tried to save them, but we couldn't stand up to the evil men. They took my new family away from me.

"When I turned six, Ghetsis entered my life. You'd be surprised, but he was actually like a father to me. He made Tepig leave our underground home. I cried for hours on end when he told me that Tepig had caught a fever and died.

"Once I had gotten over my grief, Ghetsis surrounded me with Pokémon who had been abused or abandoned, and I met my foster sisters, Anthea and Concordia. They were so kind to me… I hope they have left the castle.

"Then, when I was fourteen, I became king of Team Plasma. I decided that I would go out on a journey across Unova. I started off in Accumula Town, where I met Hilda and Cheren. And the rest is history."

* * *

To all my readers, I apologise for the lack of new lines, so to speak, in Chapters 7 and 8. I only noticed my error on 8/3/14. I do hope you don't mind.


	9. Chapter 9

Dinner is finished, as is the washing up, and we've all bathed in the stream. I'm in new pyjamas, made by the Johto starters this time, and we're all lying in hammocks made by the Hoenn starters, with soft blankets made by the Sinnoh starters covering us. My head is whirling. N nearly died when he was little. He watched his parents burn at the stake, while he did nothing. He let his Pokémon mother and sister be taken away. I sure hope they're still alive, but then again, if they are… they could be being forced by those hunters right this second.

"Rosa, are you awake?" asks N next to me.

"Yeah," I mumble groggily.

"I'm sorry if my past makes you feel so… saddened."

"No, no, it's alright, honestly. It was something I needed to hear."

"Now, I'm guessing you want to kill Ghetsis more than ever."

"You could say that. But I know it's you who'll be doing that. He raised you, used you and then betrayed you. But if you can't, I promise to be your back-up plan. You can trust us, N. We're your family as well as Anthea and Concordia. By the way, what happened to your village?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Please?"

"Fine. My village… there was a fire in the night. There were no survivors."

"I'm – I'm really sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. I can't say they deserved it, but…"

"I understand."

"What's going on?" yawns Hilda from somewhere next to me.

"Oh, nothing, Hilda. Listen, can I ask you to take me to my old home back in Aspertia Town in the morning? I need to get my Pokémon."

"Sure."

Hilda yawns again and starts to snore. "Good luck livin' with that, N," I giggle.

"Ha, ha."

"Uh… d'you reckon that in the morning you could let Zekrom out of its Poké Ball? I need to ask it something."

"No probs. I'll even get Hilda to let out Reshiram for you, alright?" N yawns and starts snoring loudly.

"Thanks." I yawn and look up at the stars. There's a beautiful and bright constellation, with some of the most colourful stars in existence. The seven main stars (including the ones pointing to it) are really bright gold. Four of them make the shape of a cross, like what they did to Christians in the Roman era, and another just inside the shape is a smaller star. All of a sudden, I see many, many more stars in the shape of a man. He is really beautiful. But he looks like he's dead! There's a crown of silver thorns around his bent head and his chiselled body is so relaxed and tense at the same time that it makes me want to cry.

I suddenly realise who this man is. It's the Lord Jesus! His eyes are now opening, revealing miniscule blue green stars and he lifts His head up and smiles at me.

"Rosa," He says, gently. "I am here for you always. Your Guardian Angels will help also. If you live your life to the full, nothing can stop you."

"But what about Ghetsis?" I ask tentatively. "He is the very embodiment of evil!"

"Let N deal with that man. You have places to go, don't you?"

"Yes, My Lord. I have to go to Aspertia Town. And then to Undella Town." I don't want to leave anything out. "Um… where am I at the moment?"

"You are now in Pinwheel Forest."

"Pinwheel Forest?" I ask, disbelief drenching my tone. "Forgive me if I am struggling to believe that. Wow… so Mewtwo took me all the way to Pinwheel Forest. Uh-oh."

"You're worried that you won't get out, right?"

"Yeah."

"We will be your guides. Trust in Me and I will deliver. I promise."

"Thanks."

"Now, I believe your sister wants to tell you something. Time for you to sleep."

"Okay…" I yawn and roll over, fast asleep.

I open my eyes to find myself in N's castle. Anthea and Concordia are watching over me. I sit bolt upright.

"Hello, Rosa," says Anthea.

"You have no need to fear us," adds Concordia.

"Why am I here in N's castle?"

"This is the dream landscape in which your sister chose to speak to you."

"We will take you to the throne room." Concordia gives me her hand. I take it and she pulls me gently out of bed. "Follow us."

Concordia lets go of my hand and she and Anthea lead me through many, many twisting and winding tunnels. I am very surprised.

"Anthea, I thought that this castle was totally destroyed by Reshiram and Zekrom's battle," I say. Though I wasn't there at the time, I went two years after, and the place was absolutely and utterly decimated.

"This is your sister's dream landscape, remember? This is what she imagined the castle would have been like in its glory days."

"Not that there _were_ any," I hear Concordia mutter.

"We're nearly there."

Just as Anthea says that, we go past N's old room. It's absolutely demolished. I feel so sorry for N sometimes. It's not fair that he should have to go through something like that!

Anthea and Concordia stop suddenly in front of a heavily polished oaken door. "You will be the one to open this door, Rosa. Knock and the door shall open for you." They move aside and disappear in beautiful columns of pink and yellow light.

I knock with a _rat-a-tat-tat_ rhythm. The door slowly squeaks open. When the door is fully open, I see my sister standing before the hole Zekrom made four years ago.

I want to run towards her, but I decide against it. Instead, I settle for walking slowly to her side. Mei is singing something that sounds like it's in a different language.

_Mellee, mellee,_

_Karnamarya._

_Mellee, mellee,_

_Rosa, Mei._

Now I can understand it all of a sudden.

_Sisters, sisters,_

_Can't be kept apart._

_Sisters, sisters,_

_Rosa, Mei._

It's a beautiful song, and I feel power from her voice coursing through my veins. Mei stops singing all of a sudden and I feel as though I could conquer the world. I don't really want all that power though. It's enough for me to have Pokémon.

"Rosa, all I am allowed to tell you is that you _must_ come to N's castle and the Giant Chasm," my sister doesn't turn her head as she says this.

"Any specific order?" I ask.

"Yes. The castle is the number one priority. You'll be able to find Nate here."

"_Nate_?!" I ask incredulously. I haven't heard from or seen my cousin in four years.

"Yes." Mei turns around to face me. She looks so sad.

"What's wrong?"

Mei shakes her head, her brunette locks shimmering in the light. "Be prepared for an unpleasant surprise. Rosa, this is the last time you'll be able to see me face to face in a dream like this."

"No!" I cry.

"You'll be able to see me in dreams, but you won't be able to talk to me. Only when you have Nate with you will you be able to talk to me."

"I want to stay a little longer."

"It's nearly sunrise. If you don't go back to the real world, you'll be stuck here forever. _Without_ me."

I hug my sister urgently. I have no idea how long we stay in that embrace, but I think it has been a few hours. I pull away. "Goodbye, Mei. See you soon."

"Bye."

Reality is a harsh eye opener.


	10. Chapter 10

When I wake, Zekrom is standing over me. His red eyes bore into mine, as though he is searching for something. _'You needed to talk?'_ he asks me, offering his hand, or wing, or whatever it is!

"Yes, thank you," I take it and Zekrom pulls me up out of the hammock. Zekrom lets go of my hand and leads me out of the clearing and to the stream where Reshiram is already waiting. Reshiram turns around and Zekrom stands next to her. The sight makes my breath catch in my throat. The two of them look so beautiful that a sudden urge to lie prostrate to them nearly takes over me. I restrain myself, because the last time someone did that, the two Pokémon nearly killed them. They become embarrassed by a show of submission.

_'Good morning, Rosa,'_ says Reshiram. Her voice is silky smooth, and I can almost taste the honey leeching out from it. _'I trust you slept well?'_

"Yeah, I did. Reshiram, you probably know Hilda better than anyone… is she hiding a secret?"

Reshiram's sky blue eyes look straight into my fire red, ocean blue and grass green ones. _'She is.'_

"What is this secret?" She doesn't answer. "Please? I promise I won't tell."

_'She has a brother. A twin.'_

"A twin brother?" I ask, incredulous and curious.

She nods. _'His name is Hilbert. He went missing around the same time as your cousin, Nate.'_

"Wow. I had no idea!"

_'Zekrom and I think that Hilbert has been captured by the remnants of Team Plasma. He and Nate could be being used for some evil, heinous plan right this second.'_

"Do the two of you think that this could have something to do with Ghetsis's plan?" I whisper. Bad news is the last thing that I need.

Reshiram looks at Zekrom as if she wants him to say the next bit. He picks up on the message. _'Rosa… Nate and Hilbert have powers, too,'_ Zekrom sighs as he places a large hand on my relatively small shoulder. It's incredibly heavy.

"Are those powers being used for destruction?"

_'If they were the cause of such widespread yet localised devastation, then, yes,'_ Reshiram states this as if it's a fact that has been scientifically proven to be correct, but I can hear the silk tearing apart, and it's not a pretty sound.

We are silent for a few minutes. I move close to Reshiram. She allows me to jump onto her beautiful, swan-white neck.

_'Did you dream about Mei last night?'_ Reshiram asks.

I'm slightly surprised that they are asking this. "Yes. We have to go to N's castle, and then the Giant Chasm. She says that I'll be able to find Nate at the castle, but…"

_'But?'_

"I need to prepare for a nasty surprise."

Reshiram and Zekrom look at each other.

"What is it? You two are never like this, even _I_ know, and I don't know you guys that well."

_'Ghetsis… was planning something even madder than using N to rule Unova. Madder even than making us one with Kyurem.'_

_'Nate and Hilbert have powers more amazing and frightening than N's, Hilda's and yours,'_ Zekrom chimes in.

"Tell me, what can they do?" I ask, moving down to Reshiram's shoulder.

_'I saw only glimpses, but it's like… like they can create and destroy at will.'_

I nearly fall off, but Reshiram steadies me. "I don't believe it," I whisper hoarsely.

_'You have no choice. Soon, nowhere will be untouched by their destructive powers. Undella Town is the only place left. That's why everyone is meeting there.'_

"Ghetsis exists simply to get on our nerves. He's just like a mosquito, biting in all the places we can't reach. Well, I'm sick of it. I am going to put him in a glass, and let N kill him."

_'That's the spirit, Rosa.'_

"Let's go back."

I lead the way back to the clearing. When I go through the trees the smell of bacon, eggs and sausages wafts its way into my nose. N's cooking for us again. His cooking smells _so_ delicious! I think I remember once, he, Cilan and another guy called Brock, had a cooking contest. They had to cook a five course meal for Ash and his old travelling companions, Misty, Max, May, Dawn and Iris. They were so good they gave each other a run for their money. In the end, Brock came out on top, with N a close second, and Cilan, unfortunately, last. The competition was held in a Pokémon Centre here in Unova, so Brock went crazy over Nurse Joy. If it weren't for the combined strength of Misty, Max and Brock's trusty Croagunk, Nurse Joy would have been on an awkward date.

Anyway, everyone is sitting down at the table, eating breakfast. Hilda has given out some Pokémon food for all the Pokémon there. And there is a lot. There's Bianca's Emboar, Escavalier, Minccino and Munna, Cheren's Herdier and Serperior, Hilda's Samurott, Stoutland, Simisage, Watchog, Reshiram and Unfeazant, N's Carracosta, Vanilluxe, Archeops, Zoroark, Klinklang and of course, Zekrom. There's also all the region starters. I feel a sharp pang in my chest. I really miss my own Pokémon. I know I caught Kyurem, but I don't remember my other Pokémon. I think I left them all in the drawer of my bedside table, but I'm not sure I'll remember which house is mine. I'm worried about them.

"Hey, Rosa, what's up?" asks Bianca.

"Oh, nothing," I answer blankly.

"I've seen that look in your eyes before. Something happened, but I'll let you tell us in your own time, alright?"

"Thanks, Bianca."

"Here's some breakfast for you, Rosa," says N, handing me a plate piled high with mashed potato, a couple of soft-boiled eggs, slightly burnt sausages, crisp bacon and buttered toast.

"Wow, N, this looks divine! There's enough to feed an army with all this!"

I sit down next to Hilda. "So, you ready to go back to Aspertia Town?" she asks.

"I guess as ready as I'll ever be." I get started on my breakfast. Within ten minutes, I'm absolutely finished.

"How was your conversation with Reshiram and Zekrom?"

"It was good. I'll tell you all about it on the way to Aspertia. You may wanna be prepared for a surprise… a nasty surprise."

I get up and take all the dishes to the stream to wash.

"No, no, let me do that, Rosa, it's my turn anyway," says Cheren, coming over to me with a scrubbing brush and rubber gloves.

"Thanks, Cheren." I head back to the clearing and all the Pokémon have gone back into their Poké Balls, except for Reshiram. Hilda is already sitting in a niche on the beautiful dragon's swan-white neck. Reshiram bends down to allow me to climb into the same spot. "See you all later!" I call, as Reshiram's gorgeous white wings lift us up into the air.


	11. Chapter 11

Pinwheel Forest disappears quickly. We are flying higher into the clouds. Reshiram sends up a Fusion Flare to dissipate the clouds. Soon, I see the beautiful deep blue sea below me. My hair is whipping back behind me and my heart is singing at the thought of seeing my dearly beloved Pokémon again soon. I love them as if they are my family – scratch that, they _are_ my family now.

We are now above the clouds. Reshiram suddenly begins to dive and I quickly lean forward to hold onto Hilda. Reshiram lands with a little bump. I slide off of her and my bare feet touchdown on blackened pavers. The town is absolutely destroyed. There are no more houses, just charred and blackened sticks that make the frame of a house. The townsfolk have run away, but here and there, I see mangled bodies.

I sob and run into Hilda's arms. "I didn't think it would be like this!" I cry.

"Come on, Rosa, you can do this," Hilda comforts gently. "We just have to control our tears, get your Pokémon and then we can go. Are you up for this?"

I give an imperceptible nod and pull away. "Let's find my Pokémon!"

I go around town, picking my way carefully. I look in the first house and tentatively step inside. I gasp. There's a boy inside. It looks like he's dead! I walk a little closer. He hasn't been burned. That's odd. I take a few steps closer to him and kneel next to him, soot staining my pink cotton pyjamas. He's breathing.

The boy opens his eyes and sits up. "Rosa, is that you?" he asks.

"Caleb?"

He shakes his head. "It's me, Zorua." He transforms right before my eyes. Instead of a handsome boy, I see a foxy little Pokémon.

"Zorua!" I cry, grabbing him in a bear hug. "I haven't seen you in forever! How are you? Oops." I let go a little because Zorua is suffocating.

"I'm alright, thanks. But what happened to you? I haven't seen you since the full moon fest."

I explain what happened to Zorua. Including that no-good, waste of space and precious oxygen, Ghetsis.

"Ooohh, he makes me so mad!"

"I know. I wish I were a Pokémon like you so I can use really, really strong moves on him!"

"What are you doing in there, Rosa?" calls Hilda.

"I found a friend from my travelling days."

Hilda comes inside. When Zorua sees her, he jumps out of my grasp and runs to Hilda. "I've missed you so much, Hilda! It's so good to see you!"

Hilda laughs. "It's great to see you, too, Zorua!"

"Zorua, how come you're out of your Poké Ball?" I ask.

"Someone opened the bedside table drawer and released me."

"Wha–" I gasp. "You've been released?"

"Uh-huh. But I want you to catch me again! Please?"

"Of course I will, Zorua. Just as soon as I get my other Pokémon, okay?"

"Okay!"

I move around the house, soot digging into my feet. I'm trying to uncover a staircase, but I know it'll be useless here.

"We'll have to try the next house."

And so we try again. And again. And again. Until finally, we come to the last house. It's double-storey and the staircase is untouched. I walk inside and see blood on the sooty floor. "This was my house," I say, tears threatening to break through. "This is where Ghetsis murdered my family." I close my eyes and see the four of us at the beach, happy and smiling. That's a real memory of when we were at Undella Town for the summer last year. I walk to where the TV cabinet should be and pick up a burnt photo frame with an intact photo of me and Mei in our Pokémon Trainer School uniforms on our first day. That was taken about eleven years ago now.

"It's kinda hard to believe that this place was ruined only a few short days ago, isn't it?" Hilda asks, breaking through my thoughts. I give her a look that makes her apologise for the insensitivity of that question.

I turn my eyes back to the photo. Our school uniform was a simple white and orange tartaned button-up shirt with black and blue checked pleated skirts (for the girls) or knee-length permanent-crease shorts (for the boys). We had to wear grey socks that went up to the knees and black shoes. And that was for the start of the year. I don't remember what they made us wear for winter, though.

I smile when I remember the grief that Mei and I caused the teachers. The teachers made us wear nametags from the start of the day to the end because we looked so similar. I remember that we used to switch the tags when we got to school, then changed them back at breaks and when the last bell went. That all changed when the former Pokémon Champion, Alder, became our headmaster in our last two years of schooling by the book.

He wasn't fooled by our games. I remember I was wearing Mei's tag, and she mine, when we first met Alder. He took one look at our tags, then us, and switched them back. "I know your names, Rosa and Mei," he said gruffly, putting his giant hands on our heads. "I know which of you is which. The teachers here have been struggling for years to figure you out. Don't do it anymore, okay?"

"We promise," we said in unison. When his back was turned, we gave each other that look. I hope you know what I mean. The look you give and receive when you are conspiring something.

"I saw that!" he called.

We gave each other a worried look.

"And you should be!"

We both thought that he had eyes in the back of his head.

The bell rang and we ran off to our class. We quickly switched the tags, but we weren't counting on our teacher being away and Alder filling her place. He looked at the tags, sighed and switched them back. "Come to my office when the morning tea bell goes today."

That class was somewhat subdued. Everyone was excited by the prospect of a new teacher. But Mei and I were nervous for what morning tea would bring.

The bell went and we followed Alder to his office after the class was dismissed. There was a large, ornate mahogany desk with intricate designs and patterns in the centre of the office. He had a beautiful name plaque on the desk with his name written in stunning calligraphy and a large desk calendar. He also had one of those newfangled laptops which you can take the screen off.

He went to look out the large window, which had a view of all of Aspertia and Virbank City, all the way up to Castelia City. "Sit," he ordered, gesturing to two chairs with simple beauty in front of the desk. We sat. "Mei, Rosa, I am not happy with this behaviour. Every single report card you had states 'Rosa and Mei have so much potential, but it seems that potential is being wasted on making our lives a misery.'" He tutted as he turned around to sit at his desk. "When are the two of you going to learn that your antics could inhibit your life? How are you going to be Pokémon Trainers if you don't want to learn anything?"

He struck a nerve there. "Of course we want to learn!" I cried.

"Your grades tell me the complete opposite, Rosa."

"But you said yourself earlier today that the teachers can't figure out which of us is which!" said Mei.

"Hmm. That _does_ present a challenge." He was silent for a moment. Then without warning, he bellowed "Eureka!" at the top of his lungs.

"What is it, Sir?" Mei and I asked in unison.

"Mei, could you come to school tomorrow with your hair in either a bun or a ponytail?"

"Sure thing!"

"And Rosa, can you come to school tomorrow with your hair in buns on either side of your head with some hair hanging down?"

"I'd love to!"

"If you do this, you can ditch the nametags. But if you continue to confuse your teachers with your antics, I'm afraid I'll have to computerise your nametags so you can't take them off during school time ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear," we said together.

Hilda's hand on my shoulder jolts me back to reality. "That's a beautiful shot," she says, looking over my shoulder. "Your first day of Trainer School, right?"

"Yeah." I take a closer look at the photo. Even I can't tell us apart! Then I notice the nametags. Ah. I'm the girl on the left with my arm around Mei.

I look on the cabinet for a photo of my parents' wedding. There are two of them. One with Mum and Dad signing the papers and the other with their arms around each other in a romantic kiss. I find another photo, this time of all four of us at Undella Bay two years ago. I'm wearing a black bikini with little blue jewels sewn all over and Mei is wearing a white bikini with orange wave patterns on it. Mum's wearing a blue one piece swimsuit that brings out her eyes and combines well with her bright yellow hair. And Dad is being stupid by wearing boardies that would look good on a two-year-old and a rubber ducky floaty. I chuckle when I remember how my Swanna pierced the floaty and he zoomed through the air. That was the day we got back from our journey, the day we became the Champions. Because of that, those four shots are pictures that I am _not_ leaving behind.

"Hilda, can you hold these photos for a sec? I'm going to see if I can get to my room."

"I wanna come!" whines Zorua, grabbing onto my ankle.

I bend down and pick Zorua up. "Sorry, Zorua, it's a family reunion sort of thing." I give him to Hilda. "Be a good boy, alright?"

"Fine."

* * *

So Rosa finally manages to get to her old home and find some memories she thought were lost forever.

To be honest, I'm kinda surprised at how I wrote her memories. I laughed when I wrote the story of Mei and Rosa's first encounter with Alder and the girls and their parents at the beach. I love writing this story and sharing it with all you guys.

This story is a two-way street. At the moment, it sorta feels like you're all stuck in a traffic jam while I'm zooming ahead. So please, do the 3 R's: **R**ead, **R**ate, and **R**eview.


	12. Chapter 12

Nothing can prepare me for the steps I am about to take. I slowly walk up the stairs, almost afraid they're going to break on me any second. This is the biggest thing I have done on my own ever in my sixteen years of life. Bigger even than choosing my own Pokémon. Bigger than catching and saving Kyurem.

Up till now, I have always done major things like this with my sister._ Mei_. She was always there for me when I had doubts. I am now on my own and I'm not used to it. Before we moved to Aspertia, we used to live in White Forest, where we were rather poor. In fact, we were so poor that Mei and I had to sleep in the same bed. That is, until we moved when Dad got a job here in Aspertia.

I always used to think how lucky I was to have a bed to sleep in, fresh food to eat, a roof over my head, clean clothes to wear, shoes and socks to keep my feet warm, electricity for light and clean, running water to drink. We were one of the luckier families in White Forest.

I take a deep breath. One step at a time. Memories come flooding back as I put a foot on each stair. The day I received Oshawott from Bianca. The day I first battled with my own Pokémon. The day Team Plasma came and plonked their daggy pirate suits and orange hair where they didn't belong. The day I first met Hilda. The day I first heard N's voice. The day Mei and I saved Reshiram and Zekrom. And the day Mei and I became the Pokémon Champions.

Cinders dig into my skin when I reach the top. At the end of the hall, there's a fire still burning. I almost go to touch it, but then I realise that fire burns. I learned that the hard way when I put my hands in the fire back in White Forest. I don't think my hands have fully recovered yet, even though we had countless appointments to cure them. Maybe I should ask an Audino at a Pokémon Centre to use Heal Pulse on me. But I've adjusted to having them like this, and I've figured it all out.

Next to the fire is a door. I open the door and find my room is ruined. Except for the bedside table. I run to it, pull the drawer open and see all my eight Poké Balls are still there. I grab them and hold them close to my heart.

"Oh, Pokémon!" I whisper, tears of happiness flowing freely. "I missed you so much! Let's get out of here."

I run back to the staircase to find that it has crumbled away to ash and soot. "Shit," I mutter. The Poké Balls rattle at my poor language use. "Sorry."

"Er… Hilda?" I call.

Hilda runs over to where the stairs should have been. "Ah. Tell me how I didn't notice that." She grabs one of her Poké Balls from her pocket. She enlarges it, throws it up in the air and calls out "Come on out, Samurott, we need your help!" Bright, white energy comes out of the Poké Ball and quickly forms the shape of a Pokémon. In less than a second, Samurott is standing there, right in front of Hilda.

_'What do you need me for, Hilda?'_ she asks. Then she takes in her surroundings. _'Gosh. What in the world happened here?'_

"Ghetsis happened," says Hilda, reaching out to pat her Pokémon, the friend whom she chose.

_'Typical.'_

"Samurott, Rosa's upstairs and, like a newly hatched Meowth up a tree, can't get back down. Could you jump up and bring her back down?"

_'Sure. Stand back, Rosa.'_ I obey and Samurott jumps right in front of me. She turns around. _'Hop on.'_

I obey again. Samurott jumps and I clutch onto her deep blue fur with my free hand. Briefly, I feel weightless. Then gravity kicks in. Again.

_Again?_ Then I remember the photo Mei and I got from the Nimbasa City Rollercoaster, the former Electric-Type Gym. Our faces were contorted in masks of sheer terror when we did the Loop-the-Loop. I think Mei was sick when we got outside. Most terrifying experience of my entire life. Before the fire, of course.

I get off feeling a tad dizzy. My knees buckle beneath me as I clutch my Poké Balls tightly. I stand up. "Hilda, let's go back to Pinwheel Forest."

"Alright!"

We head back outside, me clutching my Poké Balls and the photos I found earlier. Zorua is now a human being, the same handsome, red and black haired boy from the first house and Samurott is still out of her Poké Ball. When we get outside, we find Reshiram lying down on the blackened ground and holding her shoulder. Hilda gasps and runs over to the legendary Pokémon. "Reshiram, what happened to you?" she cries, rubbing Reshiram's shoulder.

_'It's Hugh!'_ Reshiram whispers. _'He ran off to where the Pokémon Centre was.'_ The Pokémon's giant head lolls to the side in a dead faint.

Hilda grabs out Reshiram's Poké Ball. "Return and take a good rest." She puts it back in her pocket and grabs Samurott's one too. "You, too, Samurott."

"Let's go," I say, turning to Hilda. We nod and start running, me in the lead.

More than once I nearly trip on stones and splinters dig into my skin. My feet hurt and I know I can't keep running for much longer.

Finally, we get there. The Centre has been burned down, like the rest of the town, but there's a temporary healing facility there set up under a marquee. Standing just in front of the desk is a lone figure. I know who he is immediately. I know the spiky navy back of the boy's head like the back of my hand.

Marching up toward him, I yell, "Hugh, what in the world do you think you are doing?"

Hugh turns around. "Stand back, Rosa," he says, his blank red eyes looking straight at me. I gasp and stumble back.

I steel myself again and rush forward to grab his shoulder, my other arm still clutching the photos and Poké Balls. "Snap out of it, Hugh!" I cry, shaking him like a rag doll and slapping him like a naughty child.

My actions seem to enrage him.

"Rosa, I'd hoped that it would not come to this, but you leave me no choice." He grabs hold of my wrist and it burns so badly I feel as though it's on fire. I yelp and cry out, kicking and screaming. I drop my photos and Poké Balls.

"No!" I cry.

Hugh drags me along to a little alcove that seems untouched by fire. We go straight through it.

Oh no. We're in the bathrooms. I think I know what'll happen.

Hugh starts to unzip his jacket and lets it slide down on the floor. He starts to reach for the drawstring of his trousers when I kick him where it hurts. He yells in pain and drops to his knees, wincing and crying. _Cry-baby_, I think.

I seize the opportunity to run. "Hugh, sorry, mate, you're on your own."

Tears stream from my face as I run back to Hilda. My best friend, my _only_ childhood friend, besides Nate, has been hypnotised. What on Earth am I going to do now? Why was Mei so vague?

I run straight into Hilda's waiting arms. "Hugh was going to rape me!" I yell, over and over again. I'm frightened and all alone in this world. I cry for what seems like hours when I hear a voice. It's gentle and caresses me like my parents did. "Rosa, what happened?"

I lift my head and see, out of the corner of my eye, Hugh coming toward me. I shriek and shrink back, demanding him to go away.

"Why would you be unhappy to see your best friend?"

"You tried to rape me!"

Hugh's face turns ashen. Then he sits down and holds his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he whispers, repeating the same thing over and over again. He looks up at me. Seeing my enraged eyes, he says, "Ghetsis inserted this chip into my brain the night of the fire. Whenever I see destruction, I am under his grasp, helpless to defy his orders. Please, forgive me."

I pull away from Hilda and run over to Hugh. I kneel down in front of him and hold onto his strong, broad shoulders. "Hugh," I say firmly, but not unkindly, "I will always forgive you for anything, but you were really testing the limits here. I forgive you, but I will never forget what you tried to do to me, hypnotised or not. If you had gone all the way, our friendship would be over and I would never forgive you or forget what you would have done. Thankfully, you didn't go there, and I know I'm asking for a miracle here, knowing Ghetsis, but please try and control it!" I hug him and he hugs me back, his strong arms encircling me, filling me with a strength I didn't know existed.

"When all this is over, could you take me to a hospital to get this thing removed?" he whispers. "I would hate for our relationship to be tainted by this."

"Of course! In fact, I hear that the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock, has a brother who is an experienced brain surgeon. Maybe I could ask him directly to come over here and perform that surgery."

"That would be awesome."


	13. Chapter 13

"Hugh?" calls the voice of a little girl.

Hugh pulls out of our embrace and looks over my shoulder. "Isla?" he asks.

_Isla?_ I think. Then it suddenly dawns on me. He has a sister!

Hugh gets up just in time to catch his little sister. She looks just like Hugh, but her eyes are green, bright and big. And her glossy black as night hair is long and wavy.

"Hugh, I'm really glad to see you're alright!" Isla cries.

"So'm'I, Isla. When we got separated the night of the fire, I thought you were gone for good. And then Ghetsis captured me… I was so worried, I thought I'd lost you."

"Same here, Hugh."

They remained locked in that embrace, with Hugh running his fingers through his sister's hair. It was a little disturbing, but, hey, that's how much they love and care about each other. How much I love Mei.

Tears threaten to break through the dam I have put up to protect myself when I think of my sister. My life was great and then Ghetsis had to come along and ruin everything. Team Plasma stole Isla's Purrloin back in 2008. Hugh wouldn't rest until he had found it. Then, two years ago, in 2012, he found it. But it had changed. Not only did it evolve, but it changed on the inside. That Liepard turned evil. When I saw Hugh back home after our journey, he was all scratched and bruised. He even had a few broken bones. But Liepard was tamed.

It remembered Hugh and Isla, and how it was caught by their late grandfather. I remember going to his place with Mei, Hugh and Isla every week. We had so much fun.

But then, Papa, as everyone called him, got sick. He had leukaemia. He left a gift for each of us. He gave me eight ancient stone tablets with writing on them. Mei got the other eight. We could barely make out what was written on them. We gave them to Bianca, who gave them to Professor Juniper for safekeeping. I'm not sure of what became of them after that.

Suddenly I realise Hilda has her arm around me protectively, like she would with her own sister. Like I would do for Mei.

All of a sudden, I remember my Poké Balls. I walk to the marquee and grab them and throw them up in the air. There's a Samurott, Swanna, Kyurem, Lucario, Gothitelle, Virizion, Victini and a Keldeo. They all rush towards me, happy and smiling. I'm smiling and crying tears of joy.

_'It's so good to see you, Rosa!'_ cries Samurott, licking my face while I'm just laughing.

_'I'm really glad you're alright,'_ says Swanna, preening my hair.

_'How did you manage to escape?'_ asks Lucario, hugging me.

_'What exactly happened?'_ asks Victini, sitting down on my shoulder.

_'It's amazing that you're alright,' _says Gothitelle, joining the hug.

They pull away and leave me to now go up to Kyurem, Virizion and Keldeo. Keldeo's first.

_'It's great that you're safe, Rosa,'_ he says, nuzzling my hand and then my face.

Virizion's next. _'Thank you for coming back, Rosa,'_ she says, giving me a quick lick.

"You're my Pokémon, my family. Of course I came back!"

I move on to Kyurem. It kneels down so I can pet it. Then comes the question I am dreading to answer. _'Where is Mei?'_

I crumble. I haven't exactly gotten used to the idea that I will never again see Mei until we have Nate and Hilbert with us. "Mei is… she's…" I still can't bring myself to say it. "We won't be seeing her physically in this lifetime again."

They all gasp and shake their heads.

_'What about Mei's Pokémon, then?'_ Kyurem asks.

"I haven't checked… and she hasn't mentioned anything either when she came to me in a dream." A thought suddenly floats into my head. "Hang on. How come I was able to call _all_ of you out?"

_'The Trainer System is offline,'_ says Kyurem matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?"

_'Normally, not just anyone can release a Pokémon. The Trainer who owns the Poké Ball is the only person whom is able to release a Pokémon. I figured this out because it was Ghetsis who released Zorua.'_

"How did you know that?"

_'His aura. When Team Plasma was using me against Unova, I got a _very_ good taste of his aura. It is foul and dark, with no hint of light anywhere.'_

Out of the blue, I hear a terribly familiar voice. Ghetsis. That git!

"My, my, my," he says, his oily voice snaking through my ears. "What a wonderful surprise. The orphan girl, the heroine, and the brother and sister… along with Kyurem, Virizion and Keldeo."

Ghetsis comes into view. His face looks absolutely horrid. Instead of the red bionic eye, he is wearing a black eye patch and his long, greasy hair is in an incredibly thin ponytail. Replacing the ceremonial robes he donned last time I saw him are black permanent-crease trousers, a black suit jacket, a red shirt and a white bow tie. He is still leaning heavily on a cane and his big feet are stuck in ginormous black shoes.

Hilda, Zorua, Hugh and Isla come towards me. We form a protective barrier of four humans and a Pokémon. My Pokémon come towards us and Hilda and Hugh let theirs out. Isla is still clutching her brother.

"Come, come, there's no need for that. I propose we make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" I ask, struggling to disguise the venom and hate in my words.

"The kind that will bring a part of your sister back."

"How so? You, of all people, know that the dead can't be reawakened in the physical form."

"I have here with me eight Poké Balls that belonged to your sister. If you want them back, you must break the spell that I have placed on them."

"How do I do that?"

"Kill me, or… battle all of them until they faint, completely and utterly exhausted."

Killing him would be so much easier, but I know from experience that Ghetsis has more than one trick up his sleeve. Besides, I promised N that I would let him do that.

"What happens if I don't succeed?"

He smiles an evil, toothy grin. "You become my slave and will do whatever I want you to do… forever."

I gasp. Tears sting my eyes but I won't give him the satisfaction of crying right here, right now. I have to stay strong for us all. "You frigging git! I won't kill you, but your _son_ will." In the word 'son' I put all the hate, hurt and pain he has put N through. "Ooh, trust me, _Gitsis_, I would have killed you two years ago were you coherent and the Shadow Triad didn't lead you away. I would kill you right here, right now if it weren't for the promise I made to your _son_."

"Battling your sister's Pokémon it is then. I may be cruel, but I would never choose the battlefield on my own."

"Let's go to the Gym."


	14. Chapter 14

We arrive at what used to be the Gym. It's now utterly destroyed, like everywhere else in Aspertia and I'm a little scared. Reason A: I'm in the same place as Ghetsis and Reason B: the spell he has Mei's Pokémon under. I want them back with me, but I don't know. My heart is pounding and adrenaline is coursing through my veins. I'm suddenly aware that I'm still in my pyjamas and am actually rather cold. I shiver and sneeze, once, twice, three times. Hugh gives me his jacket which I gratefully accept.

Along the way to the battlefield, we pass the body of a little seven-year-old girl. Her legs have been burnt to a crisp and her sky blue eyes are open and glassy. Her lovely white-blonde hair is spattered with blood and there's a raw gash in her throat where maggots are eating from. I choke out a sob and Hilda steers me away from gruesome sight but it's too late – her image has been burned into my brain.

All of a sudden, I rush forward in front of Ghetsis and punch him in the nose. It, unfortunately, isn't strong enough to break it. "I – hate – you!" I say, each word accentuated by a punch. I'm so quick that he can't fight back. After one or two rounds, Hugh and Hilda, along with Gothitelle's Psychic, pull me off of him, still kicking and punching.

"Rosa, save it for the battlefield," says Hilda, clutching my shoulders. "You promised N, remember? You promised him that you would be his backup plan. Please, don't turn into the monster that this git has become. You are strong, and I believe that you can do this. Don't turn into Ghetsis. Besides, he's not worth it."

"Right." Without warning, a tear slides down my cheek as we start walking again. I knew that little girl. Her name was Melody and she had the most beautiful voice in Unova. She performed at the Pokémon Musical, the opening of the Pokéathlon, the Sinnoh and Hoenn Contests and at every Pokémon League, all in two years. She was also one of my friends. She was like a little sister to me.

I suddenly realise that my friends have stopped walking. It's just me and my Pokémon on the battlefield now. Hilda is way off to the side, calling someone on the Cross-Transceiver. I hope she's calling N.

"Ghetsis, what are you doing?" I ask, because I can see that he has gone off the battlefield.

"All I'm going to be doing is letting them out and returning them to their Poké Balls. They'll be battling for themselves. Under my spell, of course."

"Oh… K?"

Ghetsis pulls out a Poké Ball from his suit jacket pocket. "Come on out, Cobalion!" he says, throwing it up into the air. White energy heads forward and forms the shape of the legendary Cobalion. It looks terribly different. Its eyes are black and pupil-less, and its horns are much, much larger than they normally are. If I was frightened before, I'm absolutely panicking now.

I shake my head and think. 'What Move Type is strong against Fighting- and Steel-Types?' Then it hits me. 'Of _course_! Ground-, Fighting-, and Fire-Types! So that means… hm. I'll have to improvise with…'

"Victini! You're up first!"

_'Okay, Mistress Rosa!' _she says, floating down in front of me.

Why do they always call me 'Mistress' during a battle? Oh well. Must be some sort of weird respect thingy.

"Are you ready, Rosa? You realise that once you start the battle, there's no turning back. Are you absolutely sure about this?"

"I don't break promises," I say simply, referring to the promise I made N. "I never have and I never will. I'm not like you. Not to mention the fact that you're a _murderer_. I'm doing this for myself, for my sister, for my parents, for my friends, for the whole of Unova and all the other regions you have drenched with your disgusting venom."

"Fine. Hugh!" he barks. Hugh jerks his head toward Ghetsis. "Be our referee."

"Okay, then," he says awkwardly, walking to the middle of the edge of the battlefield. He continues with his arms outstretched. "The battle between Rosa Twohmon and Ghetsis Gropius will soon begin! Each side must use all the Pokémon at their disposal and the battle will be won when all the Pokémon on one side are unable to battle! Furthermore, Ghetsis will not be calling moves for the Pokémon to use! They shall be battling for themselves! Ready? Battle begin!"

"Victini, use Sunny Day!" I command, struggling to try and tap into Cobalion's thoughts. I can sense that he is trying to fight the spell, but even poor Cobalion can't fight it. Back in the wild, Cobalion was the leader of a group everyone called the 'Swords of Justice', which consisted of Cobalion himself, Terrakion, Virizion, and only recently, Keldeo. Cobalion chose to be caught by Mei because of her coolness. I have no idea why Victini, Kyurem, Virizion and Keldeo chose me. Guess I'll just have to ask them when all this is over.

My thoughts are interrupted when I see a Flash Cannon headed straight for me. I duck and dodge, but the thing grazes my pyjama leg and I wince as I dive down onto the charred ground. Hilda, Hugh, Isla and all our Pokémon gasp.

_'Mistress!' _cries Victini, rushing to my aid. I get up and dust myself off. Well, the pyjama pants are ruined. Oh, great. I'm bleeding. _'Are you alright?'_

"Not quite. Could you please use Heal Pulse on me?"

_'Sure!_' A calming, healing energy bursts forth from Victini and calms the angry red welt on the back of my calf down and fresh skin covers up the wound instantly.

"Thank you."

_'Don't mention it._'

I turn to Ghetsis. "That was a dirty trick, Ghetsis!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that your Pokémon will be defending you from the attacks?" he sniggers. "Oh, my, I am _so_ sorry. I think I also forgot to mention that your sister's Pokémon are at their maximum strength? Your Pokémon won't even make a dent in their defence. Remember I mentioned a spell? Well, this is it."

"Ghetsis, I don't hate you anymore."

"Thank you."

"I _loathe_ you. I _despise _you. I _detest_ you. You are the most despicable human being to walk this planet, to even live in this universe."

"That is the closest I will get in the way of a compliment from you, I'm guessing."

"Yep. Victini, draw energy from the sun to make your Will-O-Wisp much stronger and aim for Cobalion's underbelly!" I command.

Purple flame snakes its way around Cobalion, who is trying to dodge it. One thing you should know about Victini is that her attacks never miss, so therefore cannot be dodged. The flame flits around Cobalion, confusing him so when he jumps, the flame hits his soft underbelly and he comes crashing down. Cobalion winces when he stands up again.

_'Smart idea, Mistress.'_

"Thanks, Victini." I turn to Cobalion. "Cobalion, don't listen to him!"

_'You're not Mei,'_ he says simply. _'You're not my master.'_ Cobalion rushes toward me, creating his Sacred Sword. I barely have time to dodge it. I run around the Gym, racking my brain for a move Victini can use to protect me and deal damage to Cobalion at the same time.

"Victini, use Psychic! Make him go twenty metres above the ground!"

Victini floats up ahead of me and I turn around so I can backpedal. The large V on her head glows with a fiery sheen and Cobalion glows the same colour. He rises up to the prescribed height.

"Victini, use Psychic on me, too!" This is the only way I can think of to get Cobalion to recognise me.

_'Really?' _Victini asks.

"Yes, please!" I place my foot down on the ground to find no ground. It's a pretty weird sensation. "Victini, can you get me on his back?"

_'Okay…'_ Poor Victini. This battle is getting weirder and weirder.

I float up into the air and Victini rises with me. She slowly directs me onto Cobalion's back and I feel his soft blue fur in my fists. When he feels me, he immediately tries bucking me off.

I lay my head on his neck gently, clutching at his sides with my legs. "Shh, Cobalion, it's alright. Don't you recognise me?"

_'Who are you?'_ he asks.

"I'm not Mei. I'm her sister. Her twin sister. Don't you remember when she caught you? We battled together. Don't you remember following us?"

_'I do. But I don't recognise you.'_

"My name is Rosa. I have changed in the last three days."

Cobalion's about to open his mouth to speak when we hear a strange voice. It's articulated like a human's, but it still sounds like a Pokémon.

_'That's enough!'_ the voice roars.


	15. Chapter 15

Cobalion stops trying to buck me off and I relax a little. Right in front of us floats Mewtwo. His eyes are blue and his body is the same colour. I don't know him that well but he only goes that way when he's angry. So when I see Mewtwo's livid face, I am extremely worried.

_'Cobalion, you are stronger than this,'_ he says, coming towards us. _'You can break the spell yourself.'_

Cobalion is trying really hard to break it, I can feel it. But even a legendary can't shake free of the grip that Ghetsis has on him.

"Cobalion, I believe that you can do it! I know you can!" I whisper in his ear. Cobalion immediately starts writhing again and just about throws me off. "Come on, please! I've lost so much already… don't let me lose the memory of that!" Cobalion tosses me off. I close my eyes and scream as I begin to fall, but suddenly, I feel as though I have been caught. I open my eyes and see a bright, ethereal blue glow around me. "Thank you, Mewtwo."

_'Don't mention it, Rosa. Now, Cobalion, try and remember Rosa! Try and remember Mei and the fun you had, the battles you won! Break this spell!'_

Cobalion cries and lashes out at me with a Sacred Sword. It hits my shoulder, almost cutting my arm off and I yelp in pain.

_'Rosa!'_ cries Victini.

"Victini, use Heal Pulse!" I command.

Victini sends out the same healing and calming energy as before and I watch with wonder as my wound closes up and fresh pink skin takes its place before my eyes.

"Thanks."

_'It's alright,'_ she says, coming towards me. I tickle her under the chin. She giggles and it's a bubbly, sweet and invigorating sound. If mint had a sound, that's basically it.

I feel as though I'm floating back down to the ground. Hugh runs toward me when I've touched down and I feel him lift me off the ground. He spins me around and when I land (again), I lean forward and lightly peck his lips before pulling away.

I suddenly notice all of my sister's Pokémon are out of their Poké Balls. There's Terrakion, one of the bravest Pokémon I know; Emboar, warm and prone to staring off into space; Meloetta, who has one of the most beautiful voices in existence; Milotic, who is simply gorgeous; Tornadus, who's powerful and short-tempered; and Axew, who is incredibly adorable, but whose Dragon Rage (I prefer to call it a _Dragon Sneeze_) has wowing potential.

Ghetsis is nowhere to be seen. I look high and low, but he's disappeared without a trace. He must've taken off when Mewtwo showed up.

Mewtwo comes down from the air and brings Cobalion with him. Cobalion looks happier. His horns are back to the length they should be, his eyes are back to normal and he is actually smiling. I have never, ever seen, let alone imagined, Cobalion smiling. He looks like a little child again.

"You broke the spell!" I cry, rushing up to him.

_'Only with yours and Mewtwo's help, Rosa,'_ he answers. _'Thank you. I know you've been asked this a lot already, but… where's Mei?'_

"I'll tell you later. Where're your Poké Balls?" I ask.

_'Ghetsis released us like he released Zorua. Rosa, you know you can't keep skirting around the subject of your sister. Please tell me what happened to her.'_

"I said I'll tell you later. Cobalion, please, terrible memories keep coming into my head and the more I speak about them, the more they surface. Please, I'm begging you, don't use my memories as a weapon!"

_'I'm not… I just want to know.'_

"What's all this?" calls a voice from above. It's either N or Cheren.

Zekrom floats down and lands, with a thud, right in the middle of the battlefield, where the Poké Ball design is.

"Wow," whistles Cheren, getting off of Zekrom. He looks around. "So this was my Gym. I hope we can restore our world to its former glory."

"Me, too, Ren," says Hilda, running to the Pokémon and her friend.

"Hilda, where's Reshiram?" asks N, sliding off Zekrom and standing next to Cheren.

"She was hurt pretty badly earlier."

"Let her out. Zekrom should be able to heal her."

"Sure." She enlarges the Poké Ball and throws it up into the air. "Come on out, Reshiram!" White energy flows out from the Poké Ball and forms the shape of the beautiful legendary Reshiram. She can't stand up for long though. She crashes down on the ground, creating a little tremor.

Zekrom walks over to Reshiram's inanimate form. He bends down and touches his forehead with Reshiram's. Poor Reshiram responds only weakly and I can't understand what she is saying.

_'I can't do anything for her,'_ says Zekrom, standing up.

"What?"

_'Hilda, I'm really sorry, but something is blocking my energy from reaching her. Perhaps if I give some energy to you and Rosa and you send it to her, she'd be fine.'_

I step forward to the gathering. "You won't need to give your energy," I say when I reach them. I kneel down in front of Reshiram and place my palm on her forehead. "I have plenty."

_'But you could destroy yourself!'_ Samurott and Emboar cry.

"I know. But we're talking about Reshiram here, the great dragon whose fire purged the evil from this earth thousands of years ago. I have power to make her well. If I don't use it, she'll die. And if she dies, I could never forgive myself."

I have no idea what I am doing but I feel myself sending out a strong force to Reshiram. I close my eyes in concentration and when I open them, I am fire forcing out the illness, grass giving her life back and water washing away the death.

Time loses its meaning. Space gives way. I feel as though I am falling, falling, falling…


	16. Chapter 16

When I come to, Bianca is holding my hand and is Hilda combing my hair. The sky looks very dark. And I am covered with a soft, green blanket.

Bianca smiles when she sees I'm awake. "You had us worried, Rosa," she says. "I'm glad you're alright. Are you?"

"I feel like I've been hit by a Hyper Beam," I answer, trying to sit up, but groaning and sinking back into the flowery nest because of the pain in my muscles. "What happened anyway?"

"Sweetie, you saved Reshiram's life," answers Hilda.

"I did? How?"

"You gave your life-force to her, although this meant you nearly died. Your heart was barely beating and you weren't breathing when you pulled away from her."

"Gosh. How long have I been unconscious for?"

"A week and a half," replies Bianca. "We had to delay the meeting in Undella because of your… condition. But don't worry; they were all very understanding, although this sort of thing has never happened before."

"Unless you count the amount of times Ash Ketchum has saved legendary Pokémon," giggles Hilda.

"How old is Ash anyway? 'Cause the TV makes out that he's ten, but what about in real life?"

"Hmm, I'd say about… twenty-seven?"

"Sheesh. Major age difference there."

"Is Sleeping Beauty awake yet?" calls Hugh, entering the clearing.

"After ten days, I finally am."

"Good, because you have a lot of Pokémon to catch."

It takes me a while to figure out what he means. Then I remember all my sister's Pokémon. And Zorua.

All of a sudden, I realise that the blanket is the only covering I have on. "Hugh, d'you reckon you could go back to the stream… like, right now?"

"Why?"

"… je suis nu." Translated by Google, it means I'm naked… in French.

A moment of silence passes before he blushes, turns away and quickly walks back out.

The girls help me up and dress me in silence. I feel so sore and tense, and my skin betrays me. I'm black, blue, purple and green all over. "Hilda, how can I be physically injured when all I did was send out my energy to Reshiram?" I ask, wincing as I straighten my bra straps.

"It took a lot out of you. Look, as I told you before, you nearly died. Of course your body is trying to recover, but you were so badly wounded that Victini and Gothitelle had to carry you here using Psychic.

"Rosa, seriously, now is the time to tell all your Pokémon about your sister. Please, tell us all the whole story, okay?"

"Sure. What's the time anyway?"

"It is… just about seven o'clock in the evening," answers Bianca.

"N's cooking dinner, by the way."

"Yum!"

I take a step forward and wince. Even my feet hurt and I've only just woken up! Why, oh why is the human body so vulnerable?

As we walk to the edge of the clearing, I catch the threads of the boys' conversation. It sounds like somewhat to do with teenage love or something.

"Yeah, but, how do you know that the girl you like likes you back?" that sounds like Hugh. He seems a bit tense.

"Trust me, you'll know," answers Cheren. "If she looks at you the way you look at her, she's the one. And I know what I'm talking about. I've seen the way N looks at Hilda and vice versa. No wonder they're engaged!"

"Love is a strange and powerful force," adds N, keen to steer the conversation back to where it was headed. "I mean, without Hilda, I don't know where I'd be. She changed my life – and I'm sure I changed hers. Surely you remember what happened two years ago, and also back in 2010. You would've seen it on TV, I reckon."

"Well, yeah. The media went on about it for weeks! It's not every day some crazy head brings a fully built castle out of the ground and surrounds the Unova League with it! There was a major quake that day and trust me, I know my fault lines! Rosa was terrified and I – we – were really worried when she wouldn't come out of her room. Only Mei is able to bring her out of her little bubble."

"Then you'll need to be the one to help her with that, with Mei gone."

"What?" Hugh cries. "What do you mean?"

"Mei… was killed," N says in a low, deep voice.

"By whom?"

"Guess."

I swear a minute of silence goes by. Then a violent and graphic stream of vulgar curses exits Hugh's mouth. "Of all the bloody, friggin' people! I hope he effen' rots in hell!" And that's not even the half of it.

I'm very taken aback by Hugh's language. Normally he only says Ron Weasley's favourite phrase only when extremely sorely provoked. Now he is saying every curse word and phrase under the sun. This is very surprising. Never, ever, not even in our fourteen years of friendship has he said 'bloody hell' in more than just mine and Mei's presence. Now he's saying more than that in the presence of strangers.

"Something's terribly wrong," I whisper, shivering a little. I feel something cold lightly touch my shoulder. "Snow? In the middle of January?"

"Technically it's now February," says Bianca.

"I don't care. Why would it be snowing… drat. Is Kyurem out of his Poké Ball?"

"Yes… he should be over at the waterfall."

I break through the trees at a run. Strangely, my bruises don't seem to be bothering me anymore. I sprint upstream. When I reach the huge cliff supporting it, I climb as quickly as I possibly can. "Kyurem!" I cry. "Kyurem! You've got to stop! Please! Before Unova is frozen again!" Again? Oh yeah… 2012…

I reach the top of the cliff and see Kyurem surrounded by a white cloud of snow and ice. I stop and stare for a little. Every snowflake is beautiful. Every snowflake is unique. Just like human beings, plants and Pokémon.

A snowflake floats by right in front of my eyes. This isn't Kyurem's doing. Pokémon always make one snowflake in their image. The flake that just floated by me was Isla's image. I brave my way to Kyurem. When I enter the cloud, I suddenly realise that Isla is the one in the centre, not Kyurem.

I reach Kyurem's side and touch his icy cold body. "What's going on?" I shout above the howl of the wind.

_'I think this is Isla's power,'_ he answers. _'Like me.'_

"Mama Mia," I whisper to myself. "The power to control wind and snow. Well, that'll come in handy during the summer."

I walk to Isla, guided by Kyurem's constant nudging in my back and shielding my face from the spiky ice.

"Don't come near me, Rosa!" Isla cries out, looking at me with despair.

I freeze in my tracks. "Why?"

"I can't control it… I don't know how!"

"You may be cold, but I am warm." I feel my eyes flash fire and my face and neck burning up. "Okay, now I am incredibly hot."

Isla laughs in spite of herself. I take the opportunity to walk toward her.

"Come on, give me your hands," I whisper as I kneel down in front of her tiny, shivering form. I forgot she's only nine. And that she is a bit malnourished. It was so hard to get her to eat after the then Purrloin was stolen. When she finally did, all she had was a nibble from Macca's Happy Meals.

Isla gives me her miniature, icy cold hands. "You _are_ hot."

I can feel the storm subsiding around me. I can feel it getting warmer as Isla's hands get warmer. "There you go. All better now!"

* * *

Wow. Sixteen years old and sixteen chapters. Please review. And please let me know if I put too much dialogue in all my stories. I sort of struggle with that... Anyway, enjoy!


End file.
